How to find Clinical Trials

• Ask your oncologist which clinical trial might best suit your medical circumstances.
• Check the finding clinical trials section of Lung Cancer Alliance's Website for clinical trials specific to lung cancer and links to a other clinical trial search sites.
• Call the National Cancer Institute at 1-800-4CANCER and ask about trials for your specific type of lung cancer. Ask for the "full document" description of the trial versus the summary. Also, specify whether or not you are willing to travel; otherwise you will only get information on local trials in your area. http://cancer.gov/clinicaltrials/
• Research clinical trials on your own on the Internet or through the library using search tools such as Medline and clinicaltrials.gov. 

Clinical trials are found most often at NCI-designated Comprehensive Cancer Centers, Clinical Cancer Centers, and at other university hospitals that receive federal funding and cooperate with the NCI on clinical trials. Another way to access clinical trials is through your community oncologist, who may be a part of a Community Clinical Oncology Program (CCOP) that links community-based doctors with national clinical trials.

At the time Frankly Speaking was developed, there were over 100 trials under way for non-small cell lung cancer and 50 for small cell lung cancer. By conducting your own research and becoming knowledgeable about what you may be eligible for, you will become a more active partner with your oncologist and you can feel more confident that you are receiving the best possible care.

Getting Admitted to a Clinical Trial

Once you have found a clinical trial that you might be interested in learning more about, your oncologist should consult with and refer you to the center conducting the trial. You can even contact the principal investigator or study nurse yourself to talk about the details of the study and your medical history.

Getting admitted to a clinical trial can be challenging at times. There are strict rules and criteria that are carefully monitored to protect the patient and ensure the integrity of the data. But for those who are patient and persevere, the reward can be great.

Once it is determined that you are eligible medically, then a great deal of communication happens rapidly between the physicians, your insurance company, the oncology nurse, and/or social worker about arrangements specific to enrolling in the study, travel, and other concerns.

You may want to request and review a copy of the study protocol, become well informed, and prepare a list of questions you want to have answered.

Some Important Questions to Consider Include:

• How is patient safety monitored?
• Who sponsors the study?
• Who reviews the ongoing findings of the study and how often?
• Are there additional laboratory (blood) tests or x-rays needed and who pays for it?
• Will hospitalization be required or is the study conducted on an outpatient basis?
•  Do you need to travel to the medical center where the study is being conducted or is the treatment available near where you live?
• How much of the expense of the treatment will insurance cover and how much will you need to cover personally (if any)?
• What are the potential short-term and long-term effects of the treatment?
• How could the treatment affect daily life?
• How long will the study last?
• Why is it potentially better than any other treatment alternatives available to you at this time?
• If the treatment has any negative effects, then what treatment will be done and who pays for it?

These Are Excellent Places to Start When Looking for Clinical Trial Information:

• The National Instititute of Health sponsors: http://cancer.gov/clinicaltrials/
• CenterWatch Clinical Trials Listing Service on the web at  http://www.centerwatch.com. This free service shows which drugs are being tested and where trials are being held by state.
• Call the NCI Cancer Information Service at 1-800-4CANCER and request to receive clinical trial information on your specific type of lung cancer by mail or fax.
• Contact NCI on the Internet at: http://cancer.gov/clinicaltrials/
• Contact the Lung Cancer Alliance at (800) 298-2436 or http://www.lungcanceralliance.org for the latest information and trial announcements.
• Library research can be done on Medline, a database maintained by the US National Library of Medicine. This is a fairly complicated research tool that generally requires the assistance of a medical librarian or someone associated with a hospital or university library that has Medline access.
• Check http://www.lungcancer.org on the Internet.
• The Coalition for National Cancer Cooperative Groups, Inc, has a helpful clinical trials section on their website at http://www.cancertrialshelp.org.